November 20, 1998
Media contact: Rick Moore, (619) 594-5204 or rick.moore@sdsu.edu.
SDSU's Weber asked to report to AASCU meeting
On multinational, satellite-based instructional program
San Diego State University's International Training Center (ITC) as been selected for presentation at the national convention of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), November 23, in San Francisco.
SDSU's President Stephen L. Weber will describe to higher education administrators the ITC program, selected as a "model of best practice" by AASCU from dozens of nominees in each of a variety of categories.
The program was the first distance learning program to connect six satellites simultaneously in a live international instruction program. In its 13 years of operation the program represents the first and only formal collaboration agreement between a U.S. university and the Organization of American States (OAS). It is also the first distance learning program originated in the U.S. that is being received in Cuba.
By combining innovative thinking and techniques with the newest technologies in telecommunications, ITC effects a rapid transfer of knowledge across borders to support professional and institutional development. Through their annual membership in the ITC consortium, foreign and domestic institutions keep abreast of changing technologies and other innovations that can enhance their opportunities as individuals and nations to participate in the world economy. Members of ITC include top multinational corporations, government offices and ministries, energy companies and leading educational and scientific institutions.
The program places SDSU faculty and consultants before satellite-distributed classes reaching 16 nations in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Europe. The experience they gain dealing with varied cultures and nationalities returns with them to the classes they teach to SDSU students at the undergraduate level. Their conventional classrooms are enriched by the experience they have in their ITC instruction.
ITC produces and distributes an annual series of 12 live, interactive videoconferences focusing on issues relating to global competitiveness. Topics for 1998 include "Leadership and Ethics in a Global Environment", "The Emerging Interactive Society", and "Technology Blending, Trade and Diplomacy: Strategic Management of our Expertise". Each program reaches approximately 30,000 individuals at nearly 300 sites in 16 nations. Receiving nations are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Switzerland, U.S.A., Uruguay and Venezuela.
ITC offers custom-designed training programs in system methodologies and global competitiveness. These programs, developed in partnership with SDSU's College of Extended Studies division of Professional Development, involve SDSU faculty in certificate programs and shorter-term training that often brings them in contact with leaders from business and industry. These working relationships also enrich each faculty member, providing to their conventional classroom instruction new dimensions of international experience and knowledge.
"We're very pleased to share the experiences gained from this innovative program with our colleagues in AASCU," said Weber. "The ITC program is an exciting example of what can be achieved when we work with international partners and shows how, together, we are shaping education for a global future," he added.